Melissa stuffed her book, and her other things, back into her purse trying not to blush, resisting the urge to fan herself, but only barely. She’d work for Dr. Glenn for a long time now, six years, and change. In that time, the entire office staff and turned over several times. They were the only two who had stayed. And they formed an interesting bond, not quite friendship. Not quite boss and employee. It was somewhere in between, a gray area of professional respect and personal lines drawn for the betterment of their working bond.
And as such, she was never quite sure how to approach the doctor. Sometimes they were friends, and he would dispense advice about boys, men really, and other times there was a distance between them. Like when Rose, his former girlfriend, had left the country. Dr. Glenn had been very quiet that, and Melissa had known how to get him out of his shell. Since they were the only consistent employees in the office, she felt a responsibility to keep the office running smoothly, even though that wasn’t her job. They had a very capable office manager, who was at lunch right now, thank God. Cathy would have been all over this if she’d seen what was happening. Heck, she probably would have live blogged it to her friends.
The office was rounded out by a very part time receptionist and a medical biller, both young and just out of college. They wouldn’t stay, Melissa knew that.
Most of their employees were here for a short time, either starting anew after divorce, or a change in life, or they were college kids, looking for something bigger and better than $15 an hour. It was a darn shame. Dr. Glenn was both generous, and compassionate. He wasn’t only known for his bedside manner, but he was known for being a generous individual in their city. Every charity event opportunity that came past their doors, every invitation, he did something, no matter how small. She could respect that he seemed plugged in and invested in their community. So many others wrote checks and were done with it, but Doctor Glenn actually went out and physically assisted the charities.
“Melissa, are you okay? Are you thinking about what I had to say?” Dr. Glenn looked at the doors. Melissa realized that Cathy would be back soon.
Melissa looked up at Doctor Glenn. How could she possibly answer his question? “Oh yes, I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about all the ways it would be a bad idea.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, wishing she could pull her snarky response right back in, but it was too late.
“But you’re thinking about it aren’t you,” Glenn said with a little smile. She couldn’t think of him as Doctor Glenn right now; that would be too confusing, and yes, way too arousing.
“So now that I know your secret, Melissa, what are we gonna do about it?” H had a little smirk on his face. A part of her wanted to wipe that self-confidence right off his face, and the other part of her liked the sight of it, his arrogance, and his surety that things would work out for him in the end. It was as if they had a little secret against the world.
Melissa cocked a hip and gave him a little wink, pulling forth all the sex goddess that she had buried deep inside her. Deep, deep inside her, maybe like 40 pounds ago. “So, Doc, are you really serious about this? Is it going to impact my job security?” She asked him.
“Whatever we do outside this office, will never come into this office,” Glenn said intensely, his eyes flashing. “Your job will never be at issue, Melissa. I promise you that. I vow that.” His intensity was getting to her, turning her on in a way that she could not have imagined before today.
He was the good-looking older brother type, not the sort of guy that she could ever attain with her average looks and extra pounds. Or even hope to have, so she had chosen not to be attracted, too. And that denial, that self-delusion, was rearing up and biting her on the ass.
“What do you have in mind?” She gave him a deep, penetrating look. She couldn’t do intensity like he could, but she could give back a little bit.
“Well, I have just the idea, I…”
Melissa turned, looking at the door, knowing that they were about to get invaded. And wasn’t that horrible term, invaded. It was just their office manager, who was doing both her own duties and that of their receptionist today.
“Cathy!” Doctor Glenn said, falsely enthusiastic. “How was lunch?”
“Just...fine?” Cathy’s voice lifted, as if in a question. While Glenn was friendly to the staff, this level of enthusiasm seemed as false as it was.
“Good. Good. We had some excitement here.”
While he filled Cathy in on the fender bender and the frantic older couple, Melissa finished scooping up a few of her wayward belongings. Dropping to a crouch took her much lower than Glenn’s penetrating gaze, and gave her a little breathing room. Standing eye to eye, or eye to collarbone, with him had been a little too intense.